Viewer Mail.

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Dear MizFit,

Love reading your blog. I feel like we must have known each other in another life. My wife and I have a debate going on regarding the evils of diet soda. I know it says “1 calorie” on the bottle, but we have both heard that your body perceives it as much more… They say that admitting you have a problem is the first step… well I must admit, I am addicted to my caffeine and the taste! So I figured I would turn to the “Dalai Lama” of fitness and nutrition. Do I need to give it up or can I keep chugging away?

Fizzy Regards,

Diet Coke Head

Well, crap.

Yep, no silly slashing in an effort to make you giggle whilst I use more grown-up terminology in nonslashedoutfont.

If this person truly knows me as he thinks he does then he’d also be aware that, at one point in my Tornado’s short life, I was known to refer to the Great & Mighty Diet Coke as Mommy Merlot.

If this person truly knows me as he thinks he does then he’s already aware that I friggin adore my one Diet ANYTHING of the day.

And, if this person truly knows me as he thinks he does, he’s painfully aware that *I* am painfully aware Im a poster child for nothing.

What would *I* say to you, emailer?

*Keep it to a minimum as we really DONT know what the longterm effects are of artificial sweeteners.

*Keep it to the morning or early afternoon as caffeine can have an impact on sleep habits for hours after consuming.

*Keep in mind that water is always better AND the additional liquid might perk you up even more than caffeine! (When you’re not getting enough water/fluids it decreases blood volume which makes the body feel sluggish and tired.)

Me? I was quickly weaned from my Mommy Merlot addiction when I compelled myself to match each bottle of Diet Whatevs (now with Stevia!) with a same size bottle of water. I quickfastandINAHURRY decided my merlot wasnt worth it.

*Also keep in mind this little icky tidbit (should your drink of choice be sweetened in this manner): Splenda and Equal were discovered by accident when researchers were trying to come up with a new insecticide using sulfuryl chloride. YUM! I’ll have some of that, please!

That’s my MizFit Muzing, oh D.C.Head.

What would the real experts say?

There seems to be a big group of people who firmly believe we (the royal. I know *sigh* most of you readers do NOT join me in my once-a-day guilty pleasure. please to refer to poster child comment) are setting ourselves up for weight gain even with the ZERO calories in the drinks.

Some think —I disagree—that when you drink Diet Whatevs (now in a plastic bottle!) you will definitely indulge in other places and make up or exceed the calories you’d have consumed in a non-diet soda. The ole “I’ll have a double cheese burger, a large fries and a diet cola” scenario.

Others focus more on the hard science (which I fo’ sho’ cant refute having done no studies of my own).

In a Purdue University study rats whose diets contained the artificial sweetener saccharin (MizFit note: People still use the pink packet? who knew!) gained more weight than rats given sugary food. The aforementioned eating pink packet rats also appeared to experience a physiological connection between sweet tastes and calories which drove them to overeat.

According to the study, the researchers deduced our taste buds taste sweet with the pink packets, but there’s no calorie load onslaught which comes with it. That mismatch or incongruity seems to change—in their opinion—our brain chemistry in some way.

(more info here)

How is that for a non-answer answer, emailer?

Let me end by saying, in my opinion, it depends on what your definition of is chugging is.

MizFits? I know the Bumbling Band is quite opinionated on this subject. Please to hit us up in the comments.

Whew, after that long ramble I shall leave you with a lighter email (gotta question of your own? email me.)

I still cant believe you have that enormous tattoo. do you regret it ever? whats the story behind it? is that your only one? will you ever get more?

1. No (it really is 100% hidden. always. even in running shorts. so much so that I forget I have it until someone (if by someone you mean my Toddler Tornado while she’s accompanying me to the bathroom because G-d forbid I pee alone—–which I do) points it out to me.

B. Alas, in this vein, MizFit wants to remain a Woman of Mystery. Im such an open book (boring, some might say) but this involves family so Id rather not divulge.

42423a. Not my only one (waves to mom & dad who are now hanging their loving, supportive heads in sadness) but all of the others are hidden/have stories close to my heart as well.

9. More? who can say. I adore this blogger’s arms (on every level) but couldnt pull off the look. Right now I dont have any additions in mind —– but I never say never.

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Comments

  1. Ah, the great Splenda/Diet Soda controversy. Funny how people in the real world consume vast quantities and almost no one in blog land does (or at least admits to it).

    I think the evidence against splenda is exagerrated because people hate the idea of artificial sweeteners to begin with. But it went through a boatload of tests at high dosage and most mainstream organizations think it’s just fine.

    I use splenda and drink a few diet sodas a week, and am not too worried about it. (BTW, the research on Stevia turns up health concerns as bad as Splenda, but unlike splenda it hasn’t been tested as thoroughly and cleared for use).

    Personally, I DON’T find that I tend to replace the fake calories. When I used real sugar, I consumed a couple hundred calories more a day and was a bit heavier. But research does seem to indicate that for many people this is a problem.

  2. Diet Coke! We need to start a DCA (Diet Coke Anonymous) group haha. I have tried a few times in my life to completely give up Diet Coke/Pepsi and have failed. My current attempt is working really well and involves drinking Diet Coke/Pepsi one time per week when the husband and I go out to dinner. So far, so good! Instead of drinking the DC with dinner (which is when I use to have it when I was on the one diet coke a day track), I drink either water or crystal lite. I think the best thing is to slowly cut it out of your life. If you drink 3 a day now, cut it down to 2, in two months or so, cut it down to 1 a day. In six months or so, consider cutting down to 2 x per week, etc. I now find that I rarely crave the DC. Enjoy and best of luck!

  3. I love the diet/health section of any supermarket. New low calorie products? I’m always first in the queue. I promised myself when I was started recovery that I’d give up artifical sweetner, but it’s about the one thing I really can’t kick. At least I’m not eating a massive jar of the stuff every two days (seriously, I put it on EVERYTHING).

    I saw that study that said having sweetner in drinks makes you put on weight – I don’t buy it. They tested on rats for godssakes – were the rats worried about the size of their ratty asses? Of course not. They learned to like the sweet stuff thanks to the saccharin, and then gorged on other stuff that actually had sugar it was similar – they weren’t concerned about the effects. Because they were rats. If you buy diet stuff, then your mentality is generally one of somebody who is looking to adopt a healthy (well, not fatty anyway) lifestyle overall. So, unless you genuinely believe that drinking a diet coke “cancels out” a Big Mac – and I’m sure most people don’t – then there’s no real reason to link sweetners to weight gain.

    Now as for it being carcenogenic….

  4. I’ve an “everything in moderation” sort of gal, and I’d extend that to diet soda. I really doubt that one per day will kill you (like you said, though–not a scientist over here, so who knows) and I wouldn’t feel too guilty about it…

  5. ooooh, JEN!

    You nailed it there for me.

    The world GUILT.

    I was up this morning filming *next* mondays facetime (why? Because I knew I had time @ 4a. And *knew* I’d TRY to make time later this week as myriad work deadlines approach. There’s no TRYing up in herre, right?).

    The video is all about emotional eating.

    Two key indicators? Guilt and shame.

    Nowhere in there is the LUUUVE as I posess of my One A Day Mommy Merlot.

    😉

    Thanks for the reminder,

    M.

  6. I love me some Diet Sierra Mist. Or diet A&W. Never really had a Diet Coke addiction or anything so it’s not IMPOSSIBLE for me to abstain but I do have a fear of drinking water (OK, an aversion) and as such, live my life in a perpetual state of dehydration. I KNOW I should drink more water but sometimes can’t choke it down and will grab a diet pop (Midwest, here) and down it. Satisfying and yummy. Gives you a good belch if ya need it. But like MizFit mentioned, who the heck knows what will happen to all of us from the sweeteners so lately I try to keep it at 2-3 per week (when I used to work at a desk job and thru college, too, I’d drink giant things of diet Mountain Dew at, like, 8am.) I’ve also seen the research on weight gain – liquid calories don’t satusfy the body and calorie-free soda can make the body crave more real calories. But I don’t find that an issue with my once-every-other-day pop.
    That’s my two cents. Off to force-drink myself some H20!

  7. I’ve had, really, one Diet Coke in the past 8 years. I don’t drink the stuff and I stay away from artificial sweeteners altogether (yes, that includes Splenda) because they were made in a laboratory, not in nature. And I have an overwhelming fear that I will get stomach cancer.

    That being said, if you indulge a few times a week (2-3) and don’t have problems maintaining weight or experience any side effects like dehydration or headaches, you’re probably fine. But I wouldn’t drink more than that. These sweeteners really haven’t been around long enough for researchers to evaluate the long term effects of regular usage.

    Do I sound like a paranoid scientist? ‘Cause that’s what I am!

  8. I’ve actually never been a soda drinker. I may have one a year so i’ll take the sugar with that one. However i do use sweetners and i’ll admit quite a bit. Although one of my goals is to cut down and almost eliminate them. However, where i’m at right now i’m working on trying to incorporate healthy foods in my eating as much as possible, water, and healthy oils. Sweetners are my last stand!!

  9. I must have that “poster child” t-shirt. Must.

    And I love your Diet Coke honesty:) I joke that I should have had a D.C. IV when I was in college. I say if people drink it ’cause they like it then whatevs. Just don’t drink it and expect it to make you skinny.

    Now I REALLY want to hear the tat story, lol!

  10. I just know if you let a diet coke sit overnight in a McDonald’s cup it eats a hole in the bottom of the cup. Obviously the fact that I know this should tell you that yes, on occasion I drink one. Or part of one and let the rest eat a hole in the bottom of the cup.

  11. I used to consume a ton of pop as a kid. Regular pop. In highschool, I made the switch to diet coke. I hated diet pepsi, but drank it if that’s all there was. I still drank water, but not as much. I barely drink it now. Diet coke is now like my sweet treat. Even though, I’d rather take a diet rootbeer or a diet sunkist orange over DC anyday. 99% of the time, I’m drinking water though, even when I eat out

    As for the other things.. So far so good… I think I’ve finally broken the plateau and am back on my way down. The buddha belly seems to have it’s days still. I have named that Roy! lol…

  13. I’m still stuck on “Mommy Merlot.” That is priceless!

    If I’m going to make the effort to limit myself to one a day, I would probably indulge in the real thing.

  14. ha! I *know* the REAL tat story and it doesnt involve family…if I recall correctly it was vodka, weights, & whip then off to the tattoo parlor!

    i’m a diet pepsi girl when I feel the need to indulge in a gassy drink to supplement my bean binges.

  15. dont lie, Fitarella. YOU KNOW it was MerlotMerlot, step aerobics and THEN off to the Tattoo Emporium!

    and Mama Zen? A-FRIGGIN-MEN!

    M.

  16. I, too, was once a diet soda addict. For about two years, my employer offered free soda Fridays. I stocked up, yo, Drinking enough on a Friday to last me all weekend (and even hiding a few free cans for lunches Monday through Thursday). And every Friday I felt like poo.

    Being much more diet cola enlightened, I now restrict my consumption to once or twice a week. I still love the stuff; I just know it doesn’t make me feel my best, or really even my medicore self.

  18. The Bag Lady gags at the thought of diet pop – she can’t stand the aftertaste of the chemical artificial sweeteners in anything!! She bought some new “weight-control” cereal, and will now give it away free to anyone who wants it!

    She prefers real Coke on the odd occasion that she drinks it (having broken her addiction, and lost like 14 lbs since)

    She is “trying” to think of her body as a temple (one of those big, honkin’ Ukrainian Orthodox Catholic church- size temples, but a temple nonetheless!) and as such, is “trying” to stick to more natural foods….. (Beer is natural, isn’t it? I mean, like hops and malt and all that stuff come from nature, right?)

  19. The studies that concerned me were the ones that indicated that consuming the sweetness without the calorie load was training the brain/body to not produce insulin in response to the sweetness. Then, when the subjects consumed real sugar, the body wasn’t processing it correctly because it had been trained not to expect the glycemic change. Something of that nature.

    That concerns me because everybody in my family has a pretty high diabetes risk. I really, really don’t want to be messing with my body’s ability to process sugar. Even more so for my kids. Probably it’s not really a concern if you’re never going to consume real sugar again, but come on, we all know better. 🙂 And I also wonder how it might affect the body’s ability to process other carbs. My overall thought on the subject is “insufficient study” like everything else on the market.

    But bottom line, like everything else it’s about moderation. I do try to limit myself to one diet soda a day, mainly because otherwise my water intake decreases (and I can’t do the real thing because the sugar/caffeine combo triggers my IBS, whereas the fake stuff doesn’t) – but I do use coffee creamer with artificial sweeteners. And other things. I try to keep it to a minimum, but I do use them. At no time am I going to be approaching the dosage use in lab trials, so it’s probably not a huge issue. If you’re practicing moderation in all things, you probably don’t have a lot to worry about. 🙂

    V.

  20. I get pretty grumpy just reading about Diet Coke. Because I love it and I know I drink way too much. The only times I’ve been able to quit was when I was pregnant with #1 and trying for #2. I’ve been considering stopping (again) – I consider it a lot. I like the idea of matching it with water – and then phasing out. Perhaps I’ll give it a go. As soon as the freshly purchased 18 pack in the fridge is gone. 😉

  21. I grew up drinking ice tea, so I never really got into the whole soda craze, diet or not. Although, I try desperately to make my own tea, because I know all the sugar that comes along with most bottled varieties.

    I loathe lab created sweeteners!

  22. Like The Bag Lady, I’ve never been able to tolerate the taste of artificial sweeteners. So the sweetener part of the great Diet Coke debate is fairly irrelevant to me.

    But I used to drink LOTS of Dr. Pepper. Several a day. And for me, the one a week thing didn’t work. So I spent a month gradually cutting down and ended with drinking zero sodas. It’s been 7.5 months since I had a Dr. Pepper (it’s the only soda I liked), and I’ve never slept better (I read once that it takes 15-35 hours for caffeine to be eliminated from your body). I also have more energy and (surprisingly) don’t get as tired during the day.

    I think that for those who can consume diet or regular sodas in moderation, it’s not a big deal. The trick is to make the same distinction I do with my son: lollipops are not a snack but a treat. Snacks provide fuel for our body, treats are just for fun. In my opinion, if you don’t see soda as one of your fuels, but as a fun treat, you’re probably fine (and in that small quantity, your body will probably figure it out).

  23. BagLady is my lost twin! We are all going to die of something, so why stress out over a few diet cokes? Hell, the air we breathe is probably more toxic!

  24. How much do I love thee, let me count the ways!! I so LOVE this post!!! I started my DietWhatever habit in January (never drank the stuff) so I would fight the urge to eat something equally bad for me. NOW I am fighting battle not to have a DietWhatever every day, and am trying for every other… water is my weapon of choice. What are your thoughts on how water helps weight loss, I know at Ronis’ there was debate… QueenMizFit what do you say?? I know for me, the more I drink the more I lose. Oh! Weight training today!! YOOZEER! I’ll let you know how it goes!!!
    Dee

  25. wow, i never knew splenda was an accident. thats kind of gross.

    still love it. always will. and diet soda. cant get enough. im not toally convinced it bad for you…i think people need to be more concerned with all the other crap they are consuming before they go after the DC.

  26. You know my thoughts on the diet coke- I just stay away from all that stuff as much as possible. Although a few years ago I LOVED my coke as much as the next person (but not the diet stuff; I didn’t think much of the taste… so, enter C2 and coke zero!). It took me a LONG time to wean myself off of it but now I don’t enjoy it at all. But damn that is one tough addiction to cut (and I only had a couple cans of coke a week, so I really feel for anyone who drinks more than that and is trying to kick the habit. I swear, its got to be as tough to quit as smoking or something).

    And about the tattoo- its so cool how you have them! My sister has a really nice little one on the back of her shoulder and I always forget about it until she ties her hair up. Its such a pretty surprise to see something like that!

  27. I have been soda free for 1 year, 8months, and 18 days… and no I don’t think about it that much, I just counted it up to post. I do REALLY miss rootbeer/coke floats, but to me its not worth it.

    The thing that got me off of it was the crazy stuff soda can do… it take blood off pavement, and it will clean your toilet. I don’t really want those types of chemicals in my body. I wasn’t a soda addict, so I pretty much quit cold turkey.

    I’m still a lover of the arms an the tattoos…just sayin’

  28. Re: the tattoo. My husband has one between his shoulder blades. He forgets it’s there until he manages to catch a glimpse in the mirror, then he’s all like “Woah, I have a tattoo!” (It works best if you say that as a Keanu Reeves impression).

    Me? No ink. Can’t ever decide on something I want on me permanently. So I’ll stick with my 8 piercings!

  29. four tattoos and counting here!! love ’em on myself and others for many reasons! beauty, art, meaning, milestones, remembrance….the list goes on.
    did i miss the miz tattoo unveiling???

    i have about a 3 drink a week real soda habit. i struggle to keep it at that low-for-me point. my biggest addiction in life!

  30. OKAY

    I can see both sides of the debate.

    really I can.

    Im just not in a place to give up my habit—-yet.

    I like to tell myself that we all need vices and purely proteinstuff & cleancarbs would make me a mundaneMizFit indeed.

    (the tat? CLICK HERE. more than a few of you have emailed me and really, People, it’s not that exciting. sorry for the build up.)

    M.

  32. Wow. Lots of comments. I dont’ have time to read them all to see if this has been said already.

    Splenda and Equal were discovered by accident when researchers were trying to come up with a new insecticide using sulfuryl chloride.

    Be careful of spreading the urban legends! Splenda was not created by a pesticide company, but by a British sugar company, in 1976, Tate & Lyle. They were actually looking for a way to make a sweetener based on sucrose, and found it.

  33. thanks for chiming in, Anne. Im not home so I cant double check but Im certain I found that info more than a few places!

    If Im incorrect then, well, I standeth corrected!

    EDITED TO SAY: it appears the research I found originated with THIS MAN (clickable). Now Im curious so Ive emailed him to see what’s WHAT.

    Id love your trainer tips on the obesity stuff too!

    M.

  34. Haven’t read all the comments yet, so won’t say too much and just repeat everyone else. I indulge in an occasional REGULAR PEPSI, and figure my one a week (or more if we’re traveling, when most nutrition rules go out the window) won’t do much harm. I used to drink 4 or 5 a day (but was still thin), so one a week won’t hurt. I don’t drink diet because I can’t stand the taste. The only artificial sweetener I use is in my chewing gum, and I’ve become a bit of Violet Beauregarde there – I chew compulsviely beween meals to avoid mindlessly putting food in my mouth.

    Tattoo? Consdering one of my own to celebrate the big 3-0 in 10 days, but don’t tell my mom, and it will have to be someplace well-hidden.

    And 100 push-ups a day? I’m trying. Although this morning, after digging in the garden (planting melons and pumpkins) for hours yesterday, I could only get out 2 good push-ups, so I’ve got a LONG way to go. And my husband thinks I’m insane, but we’ll see who’s laughing when I can kick his butt!

  35. I avoid diet drinks b/c I worry about artificial sweeteners. However, I completely agree that “we all need vices”, and I do have my own vices of course. 🙂

  36. I must chime in to say that diet pepsi is the root of all my evil. (ha! ) i am helplessly addicted and can say without a doubt that it causes me to eat more crap and crave more sugar. My baby never sleeps though, so I rely on it daily to get me thru the morning/afternoon/evening. I will pay someone who can cure me of this nasty habit.

    to all of you who have quit the Dietpepsi crack, please email me with advice. I need it. Thanks so much and sorry for hijacking your thread Mizfit for my own selfish needs! 🙂

  37. Judy? your mom called & she’s pissed.

    Vered? gonna share the vices? nah? ok. that’s what I thought….

    and WO Mommy? HIJACK AWAY. Im not interested in giving up my habit so we may as well help someone.

    😉

    M.

  38. Oh my goodness! I did that exact study when I was in eighth grade. With the same results – the rats with artificial sweetener ate more and gained more weight than the rats with sugar. Of course, the rats with unsweetened water gained the least weight. I’m going to sue them for stealing my idea;)

  39. I just love Diet Coke, and Fresca, and Sprite Zero. And they are free in my office, which really doesn’t help. They are like crack. I gave them all up both times I was pregnant, but then you have just one and it is a slippery slope. I am really trying to give them up again, but not today….maybe tomorrow.

  41. I gave up all soda a long time ago, and I don’t miss it. I will maybe have one every once in a while, but I think my body has gotten used to not having them, and I’m going to keep it that way. 🙂

  42. I am a victim of the diet soda world as well, but I do it in moderation. I only drink it at work, nowhere else.
    I also belive that any soda has a ton of empty calories, artificial sweetener, etc that are not good for you, but an informed and educated individual should be able to determine whether or not the drink is ‘worth it’ for them.
    🙂

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